Jobless Claims Decline

By

Eric Morath And

Sarah Portlock

Feb. 7, 2013 8:44 a.m. ET

WASHINGTON—The number of U.S. workers filing first-time applications for unemployment benefits fell last week, keeping jobless claims near levels last seen consistently in early 2008 and signaling a modestly improving labor market.

Initial jobless claims, a measure of layoffs, decreased by 5,000 to a seasonally adjusted 366,000 in the week ended Feb. 2, the Labor Department said Thursday. A more-reliable gauge of claims—the four-week...